It's not time to give up on rice and gravy

A recent preliminary study from Consumer Reports has caused a stir among the rice-eating public.

The study points to what could be considered higher-than-normal amounts of arsenic in rice.

But it's not time to stop eating rice and gravy. Not just yet.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which released its own preliminary study on arsenic in rice, agrees that it would be premature to exclude rice from Americans' dinner plates - although FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has urged people to eat a diverse diet, just in case. The agency is working on setting benchmark for safe levels of the substance in food.

Johnny Saichuk , an LSU AgCenter extension rice specialist, said Monday his agency is waiting for the FDA's findings, but said that in all probability, rice is as safe as ever.

The Consumer Reports preliminary findings were inconclusive.

Abandoning rice would not only deprive Cajun and Creole diners of an obligatory side dish, it would cause problems for the rice growers of the state - and that would lead to problems for the state's economy as a whole.

The USA Rice Federation, which represents rice growers around the nation, has issued a statement critical of the Consumer Reports study, saying that "it employs an 'arsenic content standard' that simply doesn't exist in federal law."

Saichuck explains:

"We have no baseline data to determine what's high or low," Saichuk said.

No one knows what is normal for rice. Safe levels have been established for drinking water, but that doesn't translate to how much arsenic saturation is safe in food, like rice.

So how much arsenic has been detected in rice?

"It would be a gross understatement to say, 'not much,'" Saichuk said.

It's definitely not enough to be fatal all at once. The only possible danger would come from exposure to the arsenic content over decades.

Add to that the fact that arsenic is an element and is naturally occurring in soil.

"These minute amounts could have been there all along," Saichuk said.

One of the explanations for scientists' recent discovery of arsenic in food can be attributed to advances in technology.

Instruments have become increasingly sensitive and can detect smaller and smaller amounts of substances in food or soil or water.

"I really suspect if we analyzed all food, we would find some (arsenic)," Saichuk said.

While it is doubtful, given the information at hand, that rice is harmful to humans, there is little doubt that Louisiana may suffer an economic blow if people suddenly stop eating rice.

Nearly 400,000 acres of Louisiana farmland is dedicated to rice production, with a crop valued at about $300 million annually, according to the USA Rice Federation. The rice industry provides thousands of jobs to Louisiana workers.

Saichuck said the LSU AgCenter has adopted a "wait and see attitude," and will not warn anyone away from eating rice.

That sounds like a good idea.

In all probability, the arsenic issue will be settled before long and rice will again resume its rightful place, next to smothered steak.

Now is not the time to panic.

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It's not time to give up on rice and gravy

A recent preliminary study from Consumer Reports has caused a stir among the rice-eating public.The study points to what could be considered higher-than-normal amounts of arsenic in rice.But it's not